Photo: parks and recreation, Kurhaus, Baden-Wuerttemberg

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Kurhaus: Betting on Red and Black

Parks and recreation

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Actress Marlene Dietrich called the Kurhaus the world’s most beautiful casino. Dostoevsky lost a substantial amount there and reflected this experience in his novel "The Gambler". Over the past hundred years, the Kurhaus was not only a place to bet on red and black, but also hosted a chess tournament, the Olympic Congress and a NATO summit. The neoclassical building of the Kurhaus was built in 1820 for the amusement of the nobility relaxing in the city, where they played in the casino, danced at balls, and listened to classical music on the concert platform. When in the 1830s gambling houses were closed in France, the Kurhaus attendance increased multi-fold and Baden-Baden was called the summer capital of Europe.

The gaming halls of the Kurhaus were decorated in the style of the royal castles of France with white marble, silk, gold, "puff" bronze chandeliers, paintings on the walls. Today, the Kurhaus is not only a casino and a concert hall, but also has a gourmet restaurant and the well-kept Kurgarten Park. The Trinkhalle Pavilion, decorated with frescoes with themes of local legends, stands next to the Kurhaus. There are fountains with drinking water from the chloride-sodium springs at Trinkhalle.

Kurhaus: Betting on Red and Black

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